Many of us already know about several American superstitions(迷信). Having a black cat cross your
path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition, there are many other
superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits -if you believe
in such things -and impress your American friends when you mention them.
     Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily
life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go
away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between
two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, "Eat well, you hound, may
you be sick and I be sound." This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some
eyebrows if you try it.
     In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americas will say, "All things
come in threes." Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child.
Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also
possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.
     Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides
must wear or carry "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue". The old
and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things
will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to
recite this phrase.
     As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers
crossed, and stay lucky!

1. The passage is most probably entitled _____.       

A. American's Bad Luck
B. Cross-culture and Superstitions
C. American Superstitions
D. Daily Life in Superstitions

2. The underlined sentence in the second paragraph "It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it."
means _____.       .

A. when you try it, the dog will raise its eyebrows.
B. you will make people surprised when you try this trick
C. only if you raise your eyebrows can the trick work
D. you will believe in the trick after you try it

3. In American's view, the number three is a(n) _____ number.

A. lucky
B. unlucky
C. special
D. ordinary

4. On the wedding, the bride often uses old and borrowed things so as to _____.         .

A. save some money for the wedding
B. bring good luck to the people who give them to the bride
C. give the good luck to the bride herself
D. pass the bad luck to others

5. After reading the passage, we may feel it is written in a _____ tone.

A. formal
B. serious
C. humorous
D. critical

     Flags have existed for over 3000 years. The earliest flags were wooden or metal poles topped with
a carving(雕刻品). About 2000 years ago pieces of fabric were added to some poles for decoration.
Over the next 500 years the free-flying part of the flag became more important.
     Every country today has its own flag. Many groups and organizations also have a flag which stands
for, or symbolizes, the aims of the group.
     The UN flag depicts (描绘)a world map, centered on the north pole. The map is surrounded by an
olive(橄榄)wreath(花环)symbolizing peace and co-operation. The flag is blue and white.

1. Flags have been in existence for ____    

A.500 years
B. more than 3000 years
C. about 2000 years
D. between 500 and 2000 years

2. A very old flag is likely to _____.

A. be made of fabric
B. have a map on it
C. have white shapes on it
D. be made of carved wood

3. An olive wreath is used to represent_______ .

A. peace
B. purity    
C. justice
D. equality

     根据短文内容,从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项.选项中有两项为多余选项.

     It's not just women who wear skirts.   1   In Scotland, men wear a kind of skirt called kilt. The kilt is
their national dress and an important part of their tradition.
A kilt is a colored skirt reaching down to the knees. It has checks(格子)on it with different colors, like
red and blue.    2   
       3   There are many stories about it. One story is that kilt was invented in the 1720s by an English
factory owner, Thomas Rawlinson.
Thomas Rawlinson had a number of Scottish workers in his factory and he thought their clothing got in
the way of their work.     4    
Today, most Scotsmen look the kilt as formal dress. They usually only wear them at wedding or big
dinner.     5    

A. Each family in Scotland has it's own colors.
B. There are only a few men who still wear a kilt every day.
C. How did the Scots start to wear skirts ?
D. It was important for Scots to wear skirts at any time.
E. So he cut their long clothes into shorter skirts.
F. Wearing skirts is very beautiful for women.
G. Men can wear them, too.

     Where there is a river, there is a city.  Perhaps this is not always true, but it is true that many of the
world's greatest cities have been built on the banks of a river. The Neva River flows through the center
of St Petersburg in Russia. Three hundred years ago, the Russian Czar Peter the Great
came here and built a new capital-St Petersburg.  Peter the Great, like his country, was strong and proud.  Many great palaces were built during his lifetime. The palaces were large and beautiful,  and they often
looked like something out of a fairy tale, St Petersburg has also been the center of many important events
in history. In 1941, the Germans tried to destroy the city.  It was under attack for 900 days, but the
people of the city never gave in. The Germans burned many of the palaces as they left.  St Petersburg
was almost in ruins: fires burned everywhere. Buildings were destroyed, and paintings and stadium lay in
pieces on the ground. Rebuilding the city and its cultural relics seemed impossible, but the people of the
great city would not give up, "We will not let our history and city be destroyed, and we will do everything we can to save our city ! "
     When the Nazi had gone, the people of St Petersburg began rebuilding the city. Pieces of the palaces
that had been hidden before the Nazis came could now be used to rebuild the city and its culture.  It was
not easy.  Painters and workers had to be very careful when they were trying to bring the city back to
life. It was difficult to save the palaces and building without detracting their old beauty.
     With the help of old paintings and photographs, the people of St Petersburg were able to bring back
the beauty of their culture and history.  Now, after years of hard work, parts of statues have been put
back together and missing pieces have been replaced. Old paintings, including a portrait of Peter the
Great which was found in the snow outside St Petersburg, have been carefully copied, and the old
palaces have been made as wonderful as in the past.
     Today Peter the Great on his bronze horse can once again look out over the city he built.  Like their
hero Peter, the people of St Petersburg have shown that dreams can come true. Strong, proud and
united, the people of St Petersburg are modern heroes of Russia.

1. The underlined word "portrait" in the third paragraph is perhaps closest to____in meaning.

A. room
B. picture
C. knife
D. dress

2. Which of the following sentences is not true of St Peterburg according to the passage?

A. It was the capital of Russia,  and it was built about three hundred years ago.
B. It people never gave in to the Germans during World War Ⅱ.
C. The Germans tried to destroy the city because they hated Peter the Great.
D. It took years of hard work of the painters and workers to rebuild it.

3. The third paragraph of the passage is mainly about____.

A. how bravely the people of the city fought against the Germans.
B. how beautiful the city looked now.
C. how hard the people of the city worked to rebuild the city.
D. how proud the people of the city were.

4. The best title of the passage should be___

A. A City of Heroes
B. St Petersburg
C. Peter the Great
D. Rivers and Cities

     London's River Thames has twenty-seven bridges.  But Tower Bridge,  the first bridge over the
Thames as you travel to London from the sea, is the most famous of them all.
     What makes Tower Bridge so exciting? Why do visitors come from all over the world to see it?
     The thing that is surprising about Tower Bridge is that it is open in the middle.  It does this to let
the big ships through to the pool (水域) of London.  If you are lucky enough to see the bridge with
its two opening arms high in the air, you will never forget it.
     On its north side stands the Tower of London itself.
     Although they look the same age, the Tower is almost a thousand years old, and Tower Bridge is
only about one hundred years old. It was built in 1890s. By 1850, everyone agreed that a bridge
across the Thames near the Tower was most necessary. But the designers argued (争 论) about the
bridge for another thirty years. This took so long because had two big problems.

1. Tower Bridge is____

A. about one thousand years old
B. the oldest and the most famous bridge in London
C. the first one you can see when you go from the sea to London
D. the one that took workers about 30 years to build

2. People in London agreed that___.

A. twenty-seven bridges should be built over Thames River
B. designers should argue about the bridge for about thirty years
C. a bridge should be built by people from all over the world
D. a new bridge should be built near the Tower of London

3. The Tower of London is___.

A. across the Thames
B. on the north of Tower of Bridge
C. in the middle of Tower Bridge
D. much younger than Tower Bridge

4.  From the reading we can learn that___.

A. you have to go from the sea Tower Bridge
B. the Tower of London doesn't look so old
C. Tower Bridge had two big problems
D. you can see Tower Bridge open its arms at any time